Between Heaven and Hell
by Violet Tan
Summary: Baddo, an Angel of the Lord, had a fateful encounter with a demon called the "Angel Hunter". Afterwards, he realized that his world could never be simply divided into black and white ever again.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Heaven**

He was born into a world of bright and untainted white. The first thing he saw was a figure standing in a ray of blinding light. A deep voice suddenly called from afar, making him tremble in fear. The voice was emotionless: a solemn but flat sound.

"Your name will be Baddo," the voice had stated in a language that he naturally understood, "you are an Angel of the Lord, a soldier of God. You shall carry out his and heaven's will. You shall be our sword, our shield. You shall be our judge and our executioner, our commander and our guard."

 _Who are you?_ He wanted to ask, _who am I?_ He tried to open his mouth, but could not make a sound.

"You shall be whatever we wish you to become, and our objective shall be your reason of existence. "

It was easy to understand, so he nodded. However, there was still something obscure at the back of his mind, questioning, debating...

"You shall have no goal of your own."

 _Why?_ He stared at the figure in mild confusion, _why should I not?_ His silent question would never be answered - the figure had already retreated, disappearing into the dazzling white light.

-o.O.o-

"Ah, Baddo. You have arrived on time." The Angel of Beauty, Amai Mask, greeted leisurely. Baddo nodded, waiting for his superior's instructions. Amai extended his shiny, colourful wings, then glanced at Baddo's direction with a condescending expression.

"Surely you have heard of the Angel Hunter," Amai stated, sounding bored, "the human who turned himself into a demon in order to obtain power equal to an Angel."

"I have," Baddo frowned, "what of it? I thought Mumen was on his trail." Amai scoffed.

"You really think the Angel of Mercy could be of any use in this situation? They found him a while ago near the Gate of Heaven - he was badly injured, but his wings were still intact." Baddo clenched his fist at that - Mumen was one of the angels that would not harm anyone, which meant that the demon must have been rotten to the core. Amai continued in a disinterested tone, "I would have loved to go down myself and tear that disgustingly evil existence apart, but alas - for some reason, Saitama had insisted on sending you instead..."

"Just give me my order," Baddo interrupted, impatient, "what is my mission?"

"Eager for violence as always, how distasteful," Amai shook his head with disdain, "your task is simple - bring the so-called Angel Hunter back to heaven for his punishment. Of course, it would be acceptable as well if you eliminated him on spot. The demon is now on Earth, hidden among humans. To find him as soon as possible, you will need a vessel. You will also have to conceal your weapon."

"Understood," Baddo turned to leave. He was suddenly a bit curious about the notorious "Angel Hunter".

 _Why would a human ever want to become a demon?_

"Oh, one last thing, Baddo…"

He looked back instantly. Amai Mask regarded him with a piercing look that sent a shiver down his body.

"Don't disappoint us."

Baddo nodded, suppressing his doubts and curiosity until they faded to the back of his mind. He did not need to know what the damned demon was thinking. All he needed was to complete his mission, nothing more and nothing less. After all, this was the purpose of his entire existence.

He stepped into the gate, letting the warm light embrace him from every direction. This would be his first visit to Earth using a human vessel, but the procedure was simple. It was a straightforward mission - locate, engage and capture or eliminate the target. It would take no time for him to finish his job and come back home.

 _What could possibly go wrong?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Earth**

Baddo groaned as he opened his eyes. He was on a couch in a small room with objects scattered all over the place. A small black square on the table beside him suddenly started vibrating, shouting loudly. Baddo reached towards the gadget, but could not stop the ringtone no matter how he tried.

"What the hell?" He muttered in irritation, then froze in mid-air, surprised by the words that had come out of his own mouth. Possessing a vessel was a lot different than how he had thought it would be. He had none of the vessel's memory, yet still adopted some of the human's habits and traits. He stared at the black metal piece on the table, annoyed - he was pretty sure that last time he visited the Earth, this frustrating thing had not existed.

The room - according to his distant memory about human social traits - likely belonged to an adolescent male. After several failed attempts to ignore the noisy music, he crushed the black item in one hand and immediately felt better. It was quite strange to notice such subtle emotions - as an angel, Baddo could also feel satisfaction, joy or excitement, but never this easily. The pleasure ran through his body, then quickly faded away. Baddo wondered briefly how humans dealt with such intense sensations on a daily basis, but then shook away this thought.

He needed to focus on his mission. Finding the Angel Hunter was the top priority right now… He stood up, and was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He heard his stomach growling and looked down. _Right, his vessel's body needed substances. How inconvenient._ Baddo looked around the room, finding nothing to ease his hunger. This meant that he would have to interact with the humans outside very soon. This was not at all what he had planned.

He called for his weapon, but stopped himself quickly. Before he had left heaven, Amai Mask specifically warned him to not manifest his weapon carelessly in the human world.

"Humans are very fragile, in body and mind," Amai Mask had stated, "we wouldn't want a heavenly weapon to be discovered and made public, now would we? Plus, have you any idea what that sword of yours could do to the human world?"

In fact, Baddo did _not_ have any idea, and he wasn't very keen to find out either. His sword was called Hálogi, a legendary blade built from the hardest volcanic core and embellished with ever-burning flames that will incinerate any trace of evil in his opponent. Despite Hálogi's great power, concealing his weapon should be simple as it was similar to the process of keeping his angelic powers hidden. All he needed was a container for his sword, just like this human vessel that carried his own presence.

Contemplating his options, Baddo looked around the room in an attempt to find a suitable instrument. After several minutes, his gaze locked on a ordinary-looking baseball bat. It was made of wood, painted black with a silver handle. _This would be an inconspicuous item for a young human to handle, yes?_ Baddo thought to himself, and put his hand on the bat. A burning silver light hovers above the wooden piece, then swiveled around it, transforming the baseball bat's core to a shiny metal. The handle became inky black in colour, resembling the hilt of his beloved sword. For a second, the entire item was engulfed in scarlet flames, but they soon subsided and stayed hidden.

"That should do it." Baddo murmured, and held the bat in his hand. A sense of familiarity calmed his mind instantly - the warmth spreading from Hálogi's presence ran through his veins, resonating with his concealed wings. Baddo pocketed several coins he found in the house and headed out, weapon in hand.

The blinding sunlight bouncing among skyscrapers' spotless glass windows made Baddo dizzy - he had just arrived on earth, and required time to adjust. To avoid the crowd and people's curious or weary glances, he wandered through the small alleys and investigated the city in shadows right after getting a burger at a small food stand. He needed to be cautious in everything he did - He was not like Amai Mask, who preferred the most famous and handsome vessels among humans and thrived in the human world. Baddo's knowledge of this ever-changing society was very limited - in this sense, his young and immature vessel was more than appropriate. To fulfill his goal and find the Angel Hunter as soon as possible, he needed to devise a battle strategy, a plan… Yet a sense of childlike excitement was boiling in his blood, an impulse to seek out battle and to experience everything it could offer. This human desire was affecting his ability to reason and testing his patience. Baddo looked down at his weapon - everything so far had proceeded smoothly, but why was he plagued by this ominous feeling of danger? Deep down, Baddo knew that his vessel's human emotions would one day become his downfall.

He couldn't help but thought about the mysterious Angel Hunter again - the human who wanted to become a demon. _I wonder what kind of emotions was running through his head,_ Baddo thought, _I wonder what it feels like to be truly human, to be constantly surrounded by those complex and frustrating desires…_

"Yo."

Baddo's body tensed, he whipped around instantly, fingers gripping the handle of the metal bat. The one who called out to him stared at him with glowing golden eyes, smirking.

"Pleasure to meet ya, Angel," the man with silver hair grinned in excitement, "ready to be hunted?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Between Heaven and Earth**

"So you are the 'Angel Hunter' who claims to be a monster, huh?" Baddo raised the bat in his hands, trying hard to ignore the thrill shooting through his body and longing for battle. "the guy who beat up Mumen?"

"Guilty," the white-haired young man took a stance, "I'm Garou. Care to grace me with your name, O respectable Angel?" His golden eyes gleaming with so much confidence and smugness that Baddo was instantly annoyed. _Annoyance? Where did that come from?_

Baddo stared at the "demon" in front of him: neither of them had made any moves, yet Garou was already wild with excitement. The Angel Hunter's appearance would be menacing to humans - sharp features, untamed silver hair that pointed in two directions like a pair of horns, a well-toned body and monstrous, hungry gold eyes. The aura spreading from his body was dark and powerful. However, Baddo only found himself slightly amused by that ridiculous hairstyle, and his own amusement irritated the angel to no end.

"Not much of a talker… or are you just too scared to speak?" Garou taunted, "I thought after I crushed that low-ranker they would send more of a challenge to entertain me, but looks like I'm wrong."

"Shut your damn mouth, punk, before I bash your face in and shut it for you," Baddo snarled in warning. Then he paused for a second, shocked by his own uncontrollable temper. He had been a little impatient among the other angels, sure - but never this full of rage, never this quick to anger.

"Ooh, God's perfect little soldier has a filthy mouth! Who'd have thought? So scary-"

Baddo - or rather, Baddo's vessel - clearly had had enough. Baddo decided against keep bantering with the enemy and swung the bat straight at Garou's head. Garou barely dodged it, leaning backwards, the bat spinning past only a centimetre above his nose. Baddo felt a wave of satisfaction to see the startled look on the other's face. In that instant, Garou looked genuinely shocked and surprisingly _human_ , and Baddo frowned at that.

"Pretty weak for a demon, aren't you?" Baddo commented, his tone mocking. As anticipated, Garou's face darkened at that, and Baddo decided to give it one more push, "Guess you're nothing special after all, just a fake playing a monster game."

His goal to provoke Garou certainly had succeeded - for the first time, Garou's eyes narrowed with anger and a predatory danger. He looked like he was finally getting serious, and Baddo suddenly realized that Garou's aura bore resemblance to that of a wolf. He sprinted towards Baddo without warning, then switched his direction halfway and appeared behind the angel in a split second. Badou whirled around with the bat in his hands, surprised by his opponent's suddenly greater speed. Garou effortlessly smacked his weapon aside with one fluid movement of his left hand, the other hand aiming at Baddo's chest. Baddo jumped back to avoid the attack, and swung his bat sideways towards Garou's face as a retort. However, his unfamiliarity with the handling of this weapon slowed his movement. This action was clearly anticipated by Garou, who caught the bat mid-air and smirked victoriously.

"Without the use of your weapon, you are pretty much just a bird." Garou purred, his hand gripping the bat so tight that his fingers could be mistaken for steel.

"Oh yeah? We will see about that." Baddo called for Hálogi, and the bat was engulfed in crimson flames. Garou hissed, letting go quickly and opted for a kick to Baddo's side, which he blocked just in time. Without even thinking, Garou lowered his upperbody to the ground to avoid Baddo's swing. Instead of jumping back, he ran forward and threw a punch. Having deemed the assault easy to evade, Badou tilted his head, but yelled as Garou opened his fist to throw a swhirl of sand pebbles into his eyes. After temporarily obstructing his opponent's vision, Garou pinned Baddo to the alley wall with brutal force, stepping on his hand until he let go of the bat.

 _He picked up stone fragments from the ground as he ducked…_ Baddo felt air getting knocked out of his lungs, _this bastard sure knows how to fight dirty_. Garou didn't waste any time to start pummeling his face, but the pain only awakened Baddo's muscles and called on his power.

As the Angel of Endurance and Strength, injuries would only make him stronger and exhaustion, faster. Baddo could feel the adrenalin pumping through his veins, vibrating in every fibre of his being. He head-butted Garou and heard a pained grunt, then picked up his bat once again. He blinked the sand away from his eyes to find Garou looking a little disoriented with blood running down his forehead. Garou recovered fast enough, however, and jumped back to recreate some distance between them.

They were both panting heavily. Garou wiped blood from his eyes and grinned like a madman, while Baddo simply stared ahead. They circled each other like predators, eager to strike yet both eyeing each other with calculating glances. For his size, Garou was shockingly agile and even faster than Baddo in terms of attack. Baddo could feel the bruises forming on his face, and had to admit that Garou's strength was also formidable. What's worse, the silver-haired demon was apparently a quick-thinking fighter who could take advantage of their surroundings. Baddo could see how Garou would pose a problem for most low-ranking angels… Unfortunately for the demon, Baddo was more than prepared to deal with an opponent more aggressive than him. This was a battle of stamina, and Baddo was one of the best in that field.

"You aren't half bad, Angel," Garou actually sounded a little impressed, which confused Baddo even more. The silver-haired Angel Hunter spat at the ground, and returned to his original stance.

"For a demon, you sure look human to me," Baddo observed, driven by his own curiosity, "what was the sin you committed? What was your obsession?"

"For a mindless puppet, you sure ask a lot of questions," Garou retorted sarcastically, "and it's none of your damn business. Besides, I won't tell you anything when you don't even wanna share your name."

Instead of answering, Baddo charged at him and Garou's grin grew wider. Their fight became more physical now, more personal. Garou focused on hitting every one of Baddo's weak spots and deflecting Baddo's attack with that strange technique of his, while Baddo absorbed the pain like it was nothing and got back up every time more energetic and more powerful. Garou started to notice this trait soon enough, and whistled when Baddo bounced back like nothing happened after being slammed face-down into the concrete.

"Damn, ain't you persistent," Garou commented, "even my strongest attacks didn't seem to work on you. Did heaven modify your body or something?"

"Nah, your attacks are just too weak," Badou snorted, and Garou laughed at that, looking more excited than offended.

"Well, i think it might be time to stop playing around-"

Before Garou finished his sentence, the ground started shaking violently. Cracks erupted into angry crevasses, and branched off until the entire surface of the street started shattering. The both of them were forced to jump aside as a huge zig-zagging line exploded between them.

"What the- are you doing this?" There was this ignorant bewilderment in Garou's eyes again, and Baddo, for the second time, hated how young and human it made him look, "I know we are fighting to the death here, but isn't this a bit extra?"

"Shut up, punk, I didn't do anything!" Baddo yelled in frustration, "it looks like one of your demon buddies, why don't you go and say hi?" Garou scoffed at that.

"As if I would associate myself with those disgusting scumbags," he muttered, "ugh, now our fun is ruined."

 _Did he look… disappointed?_ Honestly, Baddo didn't know if he was more surprised at Garou's reaction or his own feeling of discontent. This was the most enjoyable fight he had in such a long time that Baddo felt suddenly empty that it was over. The demon was a challenging opponent who forced him to test his own limits, and Baddo appreciated the feeling of danger. Their fight was not based on techniques that heaven so often promoted in its training, but on raw and primal instincts. Something about that fight made Baddo's human vessel rejoice in exhilaration. His body longed for battle and was addicted to the sharpened sensations of threat and to the sound of his own accelerated heartbeats.

A centipede-like monster emerged from the ground, screeching in anger and destroying all the buildings in their close proximity. Baddo could already hear the humans' panicked cries, and he tensed.

"Well, I gotta bounce. I have no interest in fighting monsters, and this 'saving people' business is best left to your kind anyway." Garou gave him another wolfish grin, his hair now slightly pink with his own blood, "pleasure to meet you, nameless Angel-"

"Baddo."

Garou raised an eyebrow at that, clearly didn't expect a response.

"My name is Baddo, punk," the angel looked shocked at his own words, "don't make me repeat myself again."

"Baddo, huh?" Smirking, Garou was already standing on a rooftop nearby, "don't go and get yourself killed. 'Cause I'm so very excited to fight you again and do the honour with my own hands." And with that, he jumped down and disappeared.

As Baddo bashed the centipede into little pieces, frowning at the revolting green juice that flew down his bat, he still couldn't stop thinking about the Angel Hunter's water-like movements and that cocky grin. The wolf-like golden eyes seemed to glare at him in the dark, its devious colour somehow dangerous and alluring at the same time. Baddo suddenly realized not only did he not accomplish his task, he also enjoyed the fight with the Angel Hunter just a little too much. Groaning, he closed his eyes, blaming his vessel for everything that went wrong since he arrived on Earth.

He was so screwed.


	4. Chapter 4 -- Hell

_This was a terrible day._ Garou decided when he wandered, a little grumpily, on the streets. First of all, he did NOT get to finish his amazing battle with a certain very persistent Angel. Secondly… Actually, no, that one interrupted fight pretty much ruined his entire night. Of course it was all that damned centipede's fault.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed himself so immensely in the fight with the Angel - Badou - that he completely forgot his original goal of the day. Frustrated, Garou roamed the city aimlessly, terrifying some passing children to try to ease the boredom that gnawed at him. He had not had that kind of fight in a long time, and just the pieces of it in his memory were enough to make him shake with excitement...

 _Garou drifted through the cobweb-like alleys with graceful ease - but unlike a ghost, as he made sure to exert power with his sole presence. He was ready to attack, ready to tear his opponents apart with claws and teeth. Every fibre of his being screamed a wolfish hunger for battle, which echoed in his veins. The low-ranked angels provided entertainment for him, a warm-up perhaps, but nothing more. Nevertheless, they stirred up his longing for a true fight, one that would serve as not only a stepping stone to his quest but also an actual test to his power. Garou had razed through all of them effortlessly, and had felt nothing but slight disappointment at their dullness. Those Angels he had faced so far had been quite easy to beat as they had had no conviction, no motivation, no drive in their movements. To be honest with himself, defeating them felt more like hitting an alarm clock until it stopped squeaking in the morning - quite satisfying, but giving no sense of accomplishment at all. Now he was woken from his sleep by the ringing alarm after all, and was quite restless, ready to snap at the first unfortunate prey that dared to come his way._

 _Then Garou saw someone walking towards him out of the shadow of overtowering skyscrapers, and for a moment everything seemed to stop. Everything in his body - no - everything surrounding him also stilled. The young black-haired man held a baseball bat with an air of confidence and pride. He stepped forward, unaware of Garou's presence just yet, as he squinted at the buildings teen's features could be called good-looking, handsome even, if they did not display the obvious defiance of a delinquent. Garou noted that the brunet's body was muscular, well-toned but not overly showy, except perhaps in the arms. The teen had jet-black hair in a style that did little to hide his belligerent nature._

 _The appearances were not what intrigued Garou, however - well, not entirely anyway. What drew his attention to the teen was the sense of something otherworldly about him. Garou could sense an aura which was, though being concealed, still far stronger than an average human. He could almost feel the formidable power radiating from the brunet's body, dancing in the air with the arrogance of a celestial being._

…

A cough abruptly put an end to his train of thought, and Garou whipped around, cursing that he had not been paying any attention at all to his surroundings. A phoenix-like figure loomed over him. Garou looked up in disinterest and snapped coldly, "what the fuck do you want?"

"Your reputation precedes you, Angel Hunter," the demonic figure spoke, "I come in peace, as a representative of the Demon Association."

"Demon Association?" The fact that an alliance was necessary suggested weakness, which was starting to bore Garou already, "the hell is that?"

"Well, it is basically _hell_ ," the phoenix-like demon sounded amused and also nervous, he coughed again, and restarted awkwardly, "to put it simply, we are a giant fraction of demons residing in hell that have the common goal of wiping out the race of angels. There are those uninterested or opposing to our goals, of course… But we are fairly confident we could outnumber and at least disrupt heaven and afflict a permanent impact with the power in our ranks."

"Colour me... unimpressed," Garou snorted, "as if a bunch of disillusioned lunatics could achieve any serious goal like that. If even something like you could become one of them, I can safely say they're no more than weaklings and cannon fodders, and you better listen the fuck up - I don't ever associate with weaklings, except to tear them apart and step on their corpses to prove that I'm the strongest of them all."

"Lord Gyro-Gyro thought you would say that," if the demon was trying to conceal his anger and embarrassment he wasn't succeeding, "we're prepared to give you a tour of our headquarters in hell, so that you might be… more willing to join us. If we join forces, we can help you to achieve your goal and become the strongest demon. We'll grant you great power over the angels, and we can assist you in your 'hunt',"

"I thought I've already made myself clear, but clearly you are not only dumb but deaf as well. Is it old age?" Smirking, Garou mocked the demon, "I don't give a shit about your organization, and I don't need your goddamn help. Leave me the fuck alone and quit putting your disgusting noses where they don't belong" He looked on with a devilish grin as the phoenix demon shook with blind rage and a funny expression, looking ready to burst at any second.

"You insolent, egoistic, foul brat!" The demon snarled, "do you have any idea how important our mission is? Compared to our scheme to overturn the balance between heaven and hell itself, your childish tantrum is narrow-sighted and insignificant like dirt on Lord Gyro-Gyro's feet! Don't you get how powerful we will be after exterminating the angels, how feared, influential and satisfied?"

"As if scumbags like you can ever be truly satisfied," Garou scoffed, "admit it, your greed will only ask for more power once you got it. We are all damned like that. We will never feel that kind of success, not for eternity, unless I do something to break the fucking rules. Your stupid power-struggle with heaven will not change anything. And do shut up about your precious 'Lord Gyro-Gyro', if someone with that ridiculous name actually exists."

"We will be back," the demon said with a darkened expression and warning in his tone, "and beware, Angel Hunter, for next time we will not be so benevolent. We will drag you through the seven gates of hell if we have to."

"Yeah, and you're welcome to try too, you annoying asshole!" Garou flipped the bird (or the phoenix, for that matter) at the retreating figure. He will defeat them all, and stand at the top, he will become the symbol of fear and break that endless cycle…

He didn't need a tour of hell, he knew what was in hell - humans with their past sins, obsessions and transgressions, bound in scorching fire or other levels of punishments, suffering for all eternity. They remained there until they became demons or monsters and returned with vicious desire for revenge to taint the Earth. Angels cared little about humans, and only few of them even set foot on earth. Their sole job is to deal with the demons or monsters wrecking havoc, but never bothered to think about how demons came about in the first place. Garou scoffed. _If those feathered assholes could THINK at all._ Angels seemed to never see that humans inflict more harm on each other than monsters and demons ever would. And at the end of the day, they were the source of it all. People hurt one another, bullied one another and turned one another into monsters. Angels then arrived to cut the monsters up, enjoying endless praises sitting on high clouds, while more evil were born. It continued on, breeding more grief and hatred every minute, and Garou was so sick of it.

He would become the ultimate evil, the one that will be feared by angels, humans and demons alike. All of them will be filled with terror and unite together to defeat him. He will make sure that no humans will hurt each other again, nor will demons and angels be on opposing sides. And to achieve that, he would need to grow explosively in a short span of time, learn and absorb everything he sees, change himself until he was the strongest of all. Garou could never reach the heavens, so his only way was down - down, as his body deteriorated into horns and claws; down, as he became the villain that could win, the exception to this unfair fixed system of a world in which the wicked would never rest and the good would never lose; down, as he became the symbol of terror, as he became terror itself and nothing more.

This was the path he had chosen a long time ago, and so Garou had told himself. This was the only option he saw, this was the only way-

Yet Garou still hesitated. There was something bothering him, heavy in his chest and murmuring to him that once he reached his goal, he would inevitably and permanently lose a vital part of himself. He did not know what it was yet, but the possibility of losing it unnerved him to the point that a sense of uncertainty plagued his conviction.

Garou shrugged it off - after all, doubt is dangerous, even deadly. He would have to be absolutely sure of himself if he were to become the strongest demon, because even a second of unsureness would kill him in battle. The rush of emotions was giving Garou a headache. He sometimes wished that he didn't feel so much. He wished, briefly, that Baddo could feel just as much intense emotions as he did. He didn't know why.

…

 _There was something different about this Angel, however, something that Garou couldn't put his fingers on, until he saw the teen's eyes…_

 _Fire. Garou stood, motionless, astonished. There was so much fire in the Angel's eyes, underneath an energetic naivety brought by inexperience in this world. The flames danced, bright, snarling, and unquenchable. It sent a shiver through Garou's body, with the excitement of finding a worthy opponent. The other angels he had fought were empty, rigid and bland, with no will behind their actions and no real purpose in trying to capture or kill him. They had been sheep in lions' clothing, but sheep nonetheless, and they had only deserved to be hunted by him, to be shocked, beaten down and put into their places, to taste the unfairness that had never applied to them… Sheep had never stood a chance against the fangs of a wolf, no matter how massive the herd. But this Angel looked completely different._

 _The Angel in front of Garou was a roaring tiger, armoured with inextinguishable heavenly fire, and Garou's body burned with a lust for battle at the mere sight of his magnificence._


End file.
